For many of us, there just aren’t enough hours in the day to eat breakfast, make sure the kids eat breakfast, get ready for work, get the kids ready for school, work, pick up the kids, take them to soccer or dance or piano, do the groceries, do the laundry, cook dinner, help with homework, answer emails, get lunches ready for the next day, and so on……and so on……

For times like these, and other times in our lives when our schedule gets disrupted, it’s time to try N*E*A*T. This stands for non-exercise activity today. To put it simply, these are just tricks to increase our calorie burn during the day. These types of activities do not replace the more formal types of cardiovascular, resistant training, or flexibility exercises. That type of formal exercise can do so much for our health and physique. N*E*A*T activities, are simply a way to sneak in physical activity throughout the day without compromising our time at all.

N*E*A*T activities do serve a very useful purpose however. We have already learned it takes 3500 calories to burn off a pound of fat. If we just increase the calories we burn to 10 extra calories a day, we would burn the equivalent of over 1 extra pound a year. Doesn’t sound like much does it? What if we were to increase it to 50 extra calories a day? Now we have just increased our calorie burn to 5 extra pounds a year. What if we increase it to 100 extra calories a day? Now our calorie burn is over 10 pounds a year.

Still, how do we do this without disrupting our already overbooked days? Here is my top 10 list.

Whenever you have to walk anywhere – walk faster

Whenever you walk anywhere – take bigger steps

When waiting in line at the bank or while pumping gas - do calf raises

When waiting in line at the grocery store- pick up a can and do bicep curls

When using the bathroom – do the “dirty potty squatty”

When riding in the elevator – do knee raises

When brushing your teeth – do squats

When rinsing off dishes – do hamstring curls

While waiting for the microwave to beep – do wall push-ups

When getting up from a chair with arm rests do – do a triceps dip

There are so many more. What are some ways you sneak exercise into your daily activity? I challenge you to add to the list!